I thinking about hunting on a very wide river, with a bit of current. There are a few islands (sandbars) going all of the way across the river. So my problem is, if I shoot a duck when I'm on an island, and it lands in the river, it will float fairly fast downstream. Does anybody know if there is a way to stop the duck from floating past the islands so I can pick it up?

Get a dog!! :laughing:
Or you can do what I do and just chase after it as fast as your waders will let you...

"When the Buffalo are gone, we will hunt mice, for we are hunters, and we want our freedom..." (Sitting Bull)
"Republicans believe every day is 4th of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15." (Ronald W. Reagan)

I can understand that fear. I got my dog a neoprene vest from Hodgman, it has pockets on each side with inflation devices in them to help her swim if needed. Of course, here in flat old Kansas, rivers don't run too deep or too fast.

"When the Buffalo are gone, we will hunt mice, for we are hunters, and we want our freedom..." (Sitting Bull)
"Republicans believe every day is 4th of July, but Democrats believe every day is April 15." (Ronald W. Reagan)

i understand why you would be concerned. i have never heard of a current the would suck things under like that, especially with the resistence of swimming. i know beaches can do it but i don't even think they suck things under as much as pull them out to sea.

my next question: do you have control over your dogs while they are retrieving? in other words, can you stop them in the middle of a retrieve and call them back? this is actually pretty tough. if they do listen that well, then you should be able to send them to get the "safe" ducks and use a good motor boat (i don't think a trolling motor would cut it if the current is as strong as you say) to get the others.

the only way to prevent a duck from drifting with the current is to block it somehow. you would probably do more harm than good trying to come up with some contraption to stop them. you could always set up on the side of the island the water pools around (usually the back side down stream). depending on the the size of the island, this could be a good resting spot for the ducks and a natural place for them to come into anyway. it should provide enough relief from the current to allow the dog to retrieve it in time. i would figure out the boundaries of this kind of pool so you know exactly what distance to shoot within. (this may have been mentioned in a previous post in this thread.)

anyway, there isn't a duck in the world that is worth jeopardizing your, nor the dogs', safety over. just keep that in mind.